Athletics departments at NCAA-member schools are expected to cooperate with campus authorities, maintain a hostile-free environment and follow campus protocols for reporting incidents related to sexual violence, the NCAA Executive Committee stated this week during its quarterly meeting in Indianapolis.

The committee, composed of 20 university presidents and chancellors, passed the resolution addressing sexual violence prevention and response at a time when questions are being raised about the appropriate role college athletics programs should play in preventing and resolving incidents of sexual assault.

“The Executive Committee recognizes the importance of addressing the abhorrent societal issue of sexual violence, especially when it occurs on our campuses,” the resolution stated. “The Executive Committee acknowledges that it is our members’ collective responsibility to maintain campuses as safe places to learn, live, work and play.

“The Executive Committee expects NCAA members to ensure that the values and principles articulated in the (NCAA) Constitution to protect the health and safety of student-athletes, operate fairly and ethically, and further to assure that student-athletes are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by special treatment.”

The Executive Committee is the NCAA’s highest-ranking decision-making body and is charged with ensuring that each division operates consistently under the basic purposes, fundamental policies and core values of the overall Association. Those responsibilities include preserving and enhancing student-athlete health, safety and well-being and promoting nondiscriminatory and effective learning environments.

In the interests of that charge, the committee’s resolution specified that NCAA member schools are expected to:

comply with campus authorities and ensure that all athletics staff, coaches, administrators and student-athletes maintain a hostile-free environment for all student-athletes regardless of gender or sexual orientation;

educate all student-athletes, coaches and staff about sexual violence prevention, intervention and response;

assure compliance with all federal and applicable state regulations related to sexual violence prevention and response; and

cooperate with but not manage, direct, control or interfere with college or university investigations into allegations of sexual violence, ensuring that investigations involving student-athletes and athletics department staff are managed in the same manner as all other students and staff on campus.